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Sand

Sand is an important construction material used mainly in concrete, mortar and plaster. Good sand should be pure silica, free of contaminants. It is used to make glasses, fill gaps in brick roads, and strengthen concrete mixtures. The grading and size distribution of sand particles, called the fineness modulus, is important and should be between 2-3 for optimal use. When combining sands, the combined fineness modulus can be calculated using a weighted average that considers the amount and individual fineness modulus of each sand sample. Proper sand quality and gradation testing is crucial for successful construction projects.

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294 views2 pages

Sand

Sand is an important construction material used mainly in concrete, mortar and plaster. Good sand should be pure silica, free of contaminants. It is used to make glasses, fill gaps in brick roads, and strengthen concrete mixtures. The grading and size distribution of sand particles, called the fineness modulus, is important and should be between 2-3 for optimal use. When combining sands, the combined fineness modulus can be calculated using a weighted average that considers the amount and individual fineness modulus of each sand sample. Proper sand quality and gradation testing is crucial for successful construction projects.

Uploaded by

ObaidurRahaman
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Sand

1. Introduction. Sand as an engineering material plays an important part in engineering


constructions. In concrete work, it is usually termed as fine aggregate. Sand is a form of silica
and may be of argillaceous. Natural sands are the weathered and worn out particles of rocks
and are of various grades or sizes depending upon the intensity of weathering. The sand
grains may be of sharp, angular or rounded.
2. Aim. The aim of my topics is to apprise you about the properties and uses of sand.
3. Properties of Good Sand. Sand should be pure silica (SiO 2). It should be free from clay, silt,
organic matter, shells and salts. It is preferable that sand should be washed before use in all
engineering construction.
4. Uses of Sand. Sand is mainly used in making mortar, plaster and concrete. It is also used for
manufacturing hollow and sheet glasses. Sand is also used to fill up gaps in between bricks in
road construction.
5. Grading of Sand. All sand particles should pass No. 4 to No. 16 sieves (3/16 to 1/16 inch).
But at the same time, sand should not contain very fine particles. In between these two
extreme sizes (3/16 to 1/16 inch), sand should contain particles of uniformly varying sizes or
it should be graded in order to get dense mortars. The grading of these various sizes of sand
particles is determined by the help of ‘Sieve Analysis’. A known quantity of dry sand
(generally 100 gms to 200 gms) is taken and sieved through a consecutive order of standard
sieves 3”, 1½”, ¾”, 3/8”, No 4, No 8, No 16, No 30, No 50 and No 100. The percentages of
the respective retained quantities are added and divided the sum by 100 to obtain a figure
termed as ‘Fineness Modulus’ of the sample. It is generally denoted by ‘F’. The fineness
modulus of the sand should be between 2 to 3. A smaller value of fineness modulus indicates
the presence of larger proportions of finer particles and vice versa.
If two or more different variety of sand is mixed together, the combined fineness modulus of
the mixed sample can be determined as follows:
m1F1 + m2F2 +………. +mnFn
Fcom = ------------------------------------------------
m1 + m2 + ………..+ mn
Where,

Fcom = Combined fineness modulus.

F1 and F2 = Fineness modulus of sample 1 and 2 respectively.

And m1 and m2 = Amount of samples 1 and 2 respectively.

If R is the ratio of one variety of sand to be mixed with the other variety, then

F1 – Fcom
R = ---------------------
Fcom – F2
The above equation can also be write as
F1 – Fcom
R = ---------------------
F1 – F2

1
6. Conclusion. Since sand is also an important engineering material for any construction
works. So its quality, gradation and fineness modulus should be carefully checked
before use in any construction.

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